Joiner and Cabinetmaker School Box

I’ve been working through the book The Joiner and Cabinet Maker, and this is the 2nd project. I have already made 3 of the “packing boxes” and will make a few more of these school boxes before doing the chest of drawers. My goal is to test the claim that co-author Chris Schwarz made in stating that working through this book would result in skills required to move onward as a “journeyman” in the traditional hand-tool sense. I have been woodoworking on a casual level for decades, but I have only taken hand-tool approaches seriously with this project, and am loving every moment of it.

If you have not read this book, the box here is meant for a wealthy young school boy to take his books, snacks, and toys with him on a carriage ride and then house his possessions during the school day. It has dovetailed corners, an inset lock and hinges, and was done from rough lumber entirely with hand tools. In the book, “deal” or soft pine was used, but I cannot find that locally so this is alder from a tree on my road, milled with a portable gas-powered mill and then dimensioned entirely with hand planes.

Its been a lot of fun and a real education in traditional woodworking!

Thanks everyone, and I agree that working with the wood right from the tree has been a very exciting and nourishing. I am spoiled by living in the Pacific Northwest where alder grows like crazy and people don’t see the value in in it. On the other hand, we get none of the beautiful hardwoods seen in the midwest and south…

I will be making a few more of these boxes, and as they improve I will post more. Thanks for looking!